OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens had their final media availability Friday morning at 1 Winning Drive before Sunday’s AFC North showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium.

The session was highlighted by significant news from head coach John Harbaugh concerning unsigned rookie LB Sergio Kindle. Harbaugh said that after Baltimore doctors put Kindle through a “battery of tests” from independent doctors in Charm City; it has been determined that Kindle is dealing with “serious (head) issues.” Harbaugh admitted “I think the chances of him playing this year are slim.”

Kindle suffered a fractured skull in an accident at a friend’s house in Austin, Texas the week before the team was to report to Training Camp at McDaniel College in Westminster.

Harbaugh said the team still intends to sign Kindle to “some form of a deal that reflects the situation”, admitting that the team is both trying to “protect Steve (Bisciotti)’s investment” in their 2nd round pick; but also give the rookie “an opportunity” to get into the facility and around the team. The team will work with the NFL and the NFLPA regarding the contract, a team official said they do not know of a precedent as to how the contract will be formulated.

Harbaugh said he expected Kindle to be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, but said he “highly doubts” Kindle will play in 2010. While on PUP or IR, Kindle would still be able to participate in team meetings, work out at the Owings Mills facility and be monitored by team doctors.

While the team wants to get Kindle signed as quickly as possible, the Ravens would not face a league deadline to sign Kindle as they do not intend for him to play in 2010. Should they not sign him before the 2011 NFL Draft, they would lose the exclusive rights to negotiate with him and he would be eligible to be selected by another team.

INJURY UPDATE: WR Donte’ Stallworth (foot) and OT Jared Gaither (back) have already been ruled out for the game, so it was no surprise to not see them on the practice field during the portion open to the media.

The more alarming news for the Ravens was that LB Jarret Johnson (back spasms) was on the field but did not participate for a 2nd straight day.

Johnson was listed as “questionable” for Sunday’s game on the team’s final injury report. Should he be unable to play Sunday in Cincy, LB Prescott Burgess would be likely to start in his place. LB Edgar Jones and DE Paul Kruger could also be asked to help fill the void.

Johnson has played in all but one game during his career since being selected in the 4th round of the 2003 NFL Draft out of Alabama. When asked whether Johnson had a good chance to get on the Sunday, Harbaugh said simply “I think he does.” Johnson also said he “should be” good to get on the field.

Five Ravens were listed as “limited” participants on Friday’s injury report. LB Ray Lewis (foot), LB Jameel McClain (knee), TE Todd Heap (shoulder), LB Tavares Gooden (thigh), WR Anquan Boldin (thigh) and DT Terrence Cody (knee) were all limited participants Friday, but are all listed as “questionable for Sunday”. Heap and Cody are the only players on that list whose status is a legitimate concern for Sunday’s game; but Cody has practiced all week and Heap has practiced on back to back days.

When asked about his chances of getting on the field Sunday, Cody said the “only thing that could stop me is if the coaches won’t let me play.” Cody however stopped short of declaring himself a lock for Sunday’s game. When asked if he would definitely see the field, Cody responded “I don’t know.”

When asked about his shoulder injury, Heap said “I feel good right now, we’ll have to see how it feels on Sunday.” Heap reaffirmed that he “should be good” to play.

WR Anquan Boldin (thigh) and WR Marcus Smith (knee) were full participants in practice Friday and are listed as “probable” to play Sunday.

CB Lardarius Webb (knee) has not been listed on any of this week’s injury reports and was a full participant in every practice leading up to the Week 1 win over the New York Jets. Webb did not play in Week 1, and there is no guarantee he will play Sunday. Harbaugh offered only a response of “I don’t know” when asked about the 2nd year corner from Nicholls State; but said “I think there’s a chance (he plays).”

For the Bengals, DE Jonathan Fanene (hamstring) has been ruled out of Sunday’s game. RB Brian Leonard (foot) and LB Keith Rivers (foot) are listed as probable.

NOTES: Hear from Harbaugh, Heap, Cody and Johnson NOW in the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net……Bisciotti watched practice Friday morning from the field at 1 Winning Drive, he spent part of practice chatting with Harbaugh……The Ravens will hold a walkthrough Saturday and then travel to the Queen City Saturday night. Saturday’s walkthrough is not open to the media……P Sam Koch joined Drew Forrester Friday morning on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST, that conversation can be heard in the Audio Vault as well……For the quickest and most significant Ravens updates respectively, follow WNST on Twitter (@WNST) and make sure you’re signed up for the WNST Text Service.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens LB Brendon Ayanbadejo is currently on the Training Camp Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) as he recovers from a torn quadriceps tendon he suffered during the 2009 season.

It doesn’t appear as though the former Pro Bowler will be activated any time soon.

Head Coach John Harbaugh admitted Wednesday he was “less confident now at this time” that Ayanbadejo would be available early in the 2010 season. Harbaugh conceded that “the fact that he hasn’t been able to practice all through Camp means it’s probably pushed back to some extent.”

Harbaugh said the 8th year Special Teams ace out of UCLA is working out and training, but practice is the “main work” necessary to get ready for the season. According to Harbaugh, the team will have to make a decision in “the next week” regarding Ayanbadejo’s status for the start of the season.

As far as Ayanbadejo is concerned, the decision is all but made.

When asked whether he’d be ready for the Sept. 13 opener against the New York Jets, Ayanbadejo said “there’s still a slight chance, but I doubt it.” He admitted it was “most likely” he’d begin the season on the PUP list. “Coming back after Week 6 looks like it’s more likely what the scenario is going to be.”

Ayanbadejo appeared frustrated with the healing process, adding “some days I feel great and then go out there and the next day don’t feel as good.”

Ayanbadejo suffered the injury during a loss to the New England Patriots in Foxborough Week 4 of last season. National Football Post reported he had a minor procedure in August to help accelerate the healing process.

Ayanbadejo is not the only tricky roster decision the Ravens face; as multiple players like Jared Gaither, Lardarius Webb and others could miss Week 1 but might not be forced to miss 6 weeks.

“It’s gonna be a tough decision” said the coach. “We’re just gonna have to balance out their progress with the other players that we have available to play and try to do what’s best for the team for the first 6 or 7 weeks of the season.”

KNEE ISSUE FOR CODY: Rookie DT Terrence Cody missed practice Tuesday (and was not present again Wednesday) with what Harbaugh described as “bursa (sac) swelling” and a “slight issue in the cartilage on the outside” of his knee.

Harbaugh said the injury wouldn’t require surgery, and Cody can “definitely get through the season” with the injury.

Cody believes he can return to practice tomorrow and “should be” on the field Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium when the Ravens square off with the New York Giants. He said he’s been “icing” the knee for the last two days and keeping a compression wrap on it. Cody was optimistic that the injury wouldn’t linger this season.

Harbaugh reiterated that while Kindle could return to play for the Ravens this season, they “don’t know” whether or not he will. “It’s just a matter of how fast the neurologists look at that stuff and clear him to play” according to the coach. He added “I wouldn’t rule it out.”

Harbaugh declined to share his opinion on potential NFL 18 game schedule; an issue owners are currently discussing in Atlanta. He did say he had discussed the topic with Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti

LB Dannell Ellerbe joined Drew Forrester on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST Wednesday morning, that interview is available in the Audio Vault as well. LB Tavares Gooden is scheduled to join Forrester at 7:30am Thursday.

As we watch the next press conference welcoming yet another Orioles manager to Baltimore amidst more rhetoric about the farm system, young players and how “tough” things are in the AL East, I’ll be wondering where the owner of the team is to take accountability for this 2010 meltdown.

Now in their 13th year of nonstop losing one thing has remained constant — the man who is responsible for all of this civic tragedy, Peter Angelos, will be absent once again.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STRgnJzuHxc[/youtube]

And once again, Angelos’ many employees in the media will be front and center to ask their newest co-worker, Buck Showalter, softball questions and lay-ups while the team flounders, the downtown business community decays and the team is 32-73.

Today will once again illuminate the difference between the baseball team and the football team.

When the Ravens hire, fire or take on water, owner Steve Bisciotti shows up for the press conference and sometimes painfully has to accept responsibility for failures at season’s end.

Today, with the Orioles 13 years into a black hole, their owner Peter Angelos and his family will act the roles of cowards and scarecrows — fingers pointed in every direction except the mirror — and be absent from the front of the company and brand that they’ve systematically wrecked and then profiteered from via the cable TV gods and the ineptitude of Bud Selig and the MLB ownership group.

Baltimore continues to suffer the loss of its baseball heritage and joy.

Today is another stark, clear reminder of why the Orioles are a mess and the city is empty.

And Peter Angelos won’t be on the podium today to answer questions when he most certainly should be.

And WNST.net will be the ONLY media entity that publicly challenges this as unacceptable.

And until the ownership accepts accountability, things will never change for Baltimore baseball.

Let’s hear what Buck has to say about “saving” the Orioles today at noon.

But, really, what difference does it make? Anyone with any sense — and that often doesn’t include the people who are still watching this disgrace nine innings a night, seven nights a week — knows that no matter what “power” was promised to Showalter will soon be proven to be a lie, like all of the rest.

Only one man is in charge of the Orioles and he won’t be present today to answer questions from the real media or his employees and henchmen.

Welcome to Baltimore, Buck. You took the job.

And we all know what happens when you lay down with dogs…

Just because we’re betting against you doesn’t mean that we’re not pulling for you.

It’s a Happy Friday for me because after the Ultimate Frisbee highlight on Deadspin the other day that I posted in my “Top 10 Baseball Distractions” column; apparently Deadspin got the idea that Ultimate Frisbee highlights may be even cooler than videos of guys getting dunked on…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kst2yrNJolY[/youtube]

Freaking awesome. I want to be exactly like Beaufort Kittredge. Other than the name-as long as I get to keep the trust fund.

I’ll save you the “I told you they’d hire him after the Ravens reported to Westminster” comments. Wait. Sorry!

I guess the “breaking” part of this “breaking news” is lessened because we knew this was coming-having been reported by Ken Rosenthal as a “done deal” before the All-Star Game. (Edit from GMC: Ken Rosenthal would know.) But it is still significant when a team hires a manager, even if it is a team that hasn’t played a meaningful game in well over a decade.

A handful of folks in town are excited about Showalter. The rest of the folks in town would only be excited if he could play CB. Count me in the group that’s interested, but by no means excited. I’d be excited if he was bringing Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling with him; as well as Mark Teixeira and Nelson Cruz. Otherwise, I’ll withhold excitement until I know that they’re going to get some real players.

Connie Mack would need better players to win in Charm City-and from everything I can tell, Buck Showalter is no Connie Mack. But I’d love to see him don a similar hat…

There is a significant question about how much control Showalter is going to have of the organization, specifically personnel. He’s been known to be a control freak, but he’s going to be working for a President of Baseball Operations (Andy MacPhail) who laid the groundwork for the team’s “Plan”, and an owner (Peter Angelos) who has a history of meddling even when it’s been said that he gave up control.

Of course, this is where some will make the argument that the addition of Showalter could be a signal of the end of the MacPhail regime. That could very well be true. I’m not yet sure whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing yet.

If it’s a “miracle worker” the Birds were looking for, I’m not sure why they didn’t consider Francesca Frigo (Thanks Next Round!)…

In the words of Veronica Corningstone: Miguel Tejada, “Thanks for stopping by.”

There won’t really be too many memories of the 2nd Miguel Tejada tenure in Baltimore-although he played exactly as many meaningful games this time around as he did the first; but the team does get a player in exchange that could end up turning into…something?

Pelzer is by no means a “top prospect” in the Pads’ organization, but is a guy who could offer something moving forward. I talked to a couple of MLB personnel guys last night about Pelzer-and the responses I got ranged from “good arm” to “live arm” to “will be better as a reliever than as a starter” to “big league ready soon” to “needs to match mentally what he has physically.”

I never get too excited about a minor league player (no matter who they are), and that won’t change with Pelzer. Although-he IS a South Carolina guy, so hopefully we can chat about Hootie & The Blowfish. There just isn’t enough of that in the world.

Which is fine-as long as the organization isn’t thinking that they have “the answer” at 3B and can’t consider an upgrade in the offseason. Josh Bell may end up being a very good player; but if the team wants to win-they need real major league players at every position; not a group of guys who might end up being real major league players.

That being said, my guess is that the organization’s brass will do everything in their power to make sure that Bell is the Opening Day 3B in April. If that’s the case, I hope he spends the rest of the year looking like Matt Williams.

Hey Hey! That’s win number 1 after the season ended on Sunday-and it only took extra innings against one of the OTHER worst teams in baseball to get it done!

Brian Matusz threw 3 innings of no-hit ball last night. I’m not really sure what happened after that, but the three innings were really good! (Edit from GMC: Thank God we stopped the whole “Apologist of the Morning” thing. I’d win going away…)

Nice to see Corey Patterson playing the role of “hero” again after that grand slam to tie things up against the Texas Rangers in the 9th a few weeks ago in Arlington. He’ll savor these memories when he’s doing…whatever it is he’ll be doing…next season.

Of course, despite the new regime…I wouldn’t be stunned at all if Corey Patterson lined up in Left Field at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in April 2011…or at least on the bench. He’s exactly the type of player the organization loves.

-The O’s and Royals are back at it in KC tonight. Jake Arrieta faces Sean O’Sullivan-with first pitch from Kauffman Stadium at 8:10pm on MASN2. Like I said yesterday, I’ll go with a split this weekend.

-Did you miss former MLB Scout Frankie Piliere on “The Morning Reaction” with Drew Forrester on AM1570 WNST discussing Wynn Pelzer and other trade deadline stuff? Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault today to check it out. Other guests included:

The Fabian Washington news is REALLY good news, and the Todd Heap news really isn’t that bad. The Rodelin Anthony news happened.

This team needs their top corners healthy. With no offense to Cary Williams or Travis Fisher or Walt Harris, they’re just not great options. At least one of them will end up making the team-but this organization is certainly better off not having any of them suit up.

Of course-early reports from practice today say neither Fabian nor Dominique Foxworth were practicing; so we’ll have to follow that. Just when all of the news was starting to be good…

Which is why the conversations about liability, etc. earlier this week were so ridiculous. The Ravens want to give Sergio Kindle a contract and are GOING to give Sergio Kindle a contract. He’s going to get plenty of money-but they’re not going to pay him for the time he wasn’t working. The contract structure will be the same, it will just reflect the fact that he wasn’t working for a while.

Questions continue regarding Kindle’s accident. It seems as though folks are accepting the possible narcolepsy explanation from his former Longhorns coach Mack Brown as a factual explanation-which is just as dangerous as accepting any of the possible explanations regarding alcohol, etc. that were thrown around earlier this week.

The fact remains that we still don’t know. Hopefully we will know soon.

(Edit from GMC: Watching that again just reminds me how terrible Joe Buck is. It was one of the greatest moments in Super Bowl history and he treated it like it was a routine first down in a regular season game. Ugh.)

And finally, I leave you with this.

“Dinner For Schmucks” opens tonight. It isn’t getting great reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but Zach Galifianakis is HILARIOUS…

It’s a Happy Wednesday for me because my roommate’s girlfriend (“The Luckiest Dang Roommate’s Girlfriend on the Face of the Planet”?) dropped off a gift at our apartment (“Summer Camp”) last night. Let’s just say it was thoughtful…

And while I’m at it, my roommate and I are currently searching for a new home base-looking for a bit more space than our current 2 bedroom apartment. I asked this on Facebook yesterday, but I might as well ask again here. Does anyone rent townhouses in Baltimore County?

I’m looking for something with a little space and fairly priced. There’s only two of us, so I can’t pay $1600. I’ll take a nice place in a solid neighborhood, or I’ll take a dump with THIS in the basement…

Look, this ISN’T the earth-shattering news some folks in town wanted to think it was. Players fail the conditioning test in Westminster every year. Is it a BIT more concerning because the biggest issue Terrence Cody has faced in his life IS conditioning? Sure. But this isn’t a “stop the presses” type of issue.

My guess is that Terrence Cody will take the test again in the next day or two and will pass. After that, he’ll hit the practice field at McDaniel College after that.

My other guess? This won’t be the last time Terrence Cody’s conditioning is questioned while he’s in Charm City.

Just guesses.

(Edit from GMC: UPDATE-I was right. Cody passed his test and returned to the practice field Tuesday morning. Our long civic nightmare is over. And the news was first reported…by Fabian Washington on Twitter. Of course it was. They call Fabian “the most trusted name in news”, don’t they?)

No one on this list is particularly surprising-I don’t think we knew much about Oniel Cousins’ throat surgery; and I’m not really sure what’s going on with Prince Miller or Rodelin Anthony (and both are likely longshots to make the roster anyway).

And as our own Luke Jones wrote later last night, it is IMPORTANT to remember that this ISN’T the “miss 6 weeks of the season” PUP list-just the active list to start Camp. As these guys are ready-they’ll practice.

(Edit from GMC: UPDATE-Prince Miller returned to practice today as well. Thank God!)

I’m just grateful the team didn’t end up putting Asimina Koutsounouri on PUP. That would have been devastating (Thanks Don Chavez/Totally Crap!)…

And I’ll go ahead on the other side and say…and the end of the season.

There’s no question that the organization CANNOT allow Coach Harbs to go into next season with it being the final year of his contract (see: Trembley, Dave). That being said, there’s no reason to necessarily do this right now, as the focus should be on the team and trying to reach the Super Bowl.

Of course, the opposing argument would be “but then what do you do if everything goes wrong this season and the team somehow ends up 5-11? You either reward him for a bad season or you allow him to enter the final year of his contract.”

-Two more practices for the Ravens today, with this afternoon’s session scheduled for 3:30pm. After the morning session; John Harbaugh, Terrence Cody and Ed Dickson are scheduled to meet with the media. Sergio Kindle was originally scheduled as well-but it’s safe to say that won’t happen. Luke Jones is on the scene, he’ll be checking in with reports throughout the day with Thyrl Nelson and Nestor Aparicio on AM1570 WNST.

-Brian Baldinger (NFL Network) said Haloti Ngata was the 5th best player in the entire NFL. Sorta makes me look silly for saying he’s the #3 guy on the Ravens’ roster… (Joe Flacco, Michael Oher).

Thank God Jose Bautista only plays the Birds 18 times a year, or the Hall of Fame folks would already be working on his plaque in Cooperstown.

I will be forced to admit that I turned the game off after Bautista’s 1st inning homer. Why the Orioles let Kevin Millwood even pitch in the first inning is beyond me. It just isn’t going to go well.

Remember when we thought Kevin Millwood was going to have trade value? I still think he does, I just think they need to lower their expectations for what they can get for him. In fact, their best bets may be Isuro Tanaka and/or Rube Baker from the Cleveland Indians.

If Bergesen stays in the rotation, he’ll probably get hit around. Kansas City stinks, but they can still hit. There’s nothing about his performance recently that suggests he’ll suddenly come alive. I don’t know that he REALLY gains anything from going back to Norfolk, but maybe he does.

Zach Britton probably ISN’T ready to reach the big league level yet-but it would be a pressure-less situation on the road against a terrible KC team at a time when no one in either town is particularly concerned about what’s going on baseball-wise.

-The Orioles are back in action tonight, wrapping up their 3 game set in Canada. Jeremy Guthrie (who MIGHT have some trade value) goes against the Jays’ Brad Mills (who will be making his first start). First pitch at Rogers Centre is at 7:07pm, and the game can be seen on MASN2.

-If you missed Bowie Baysox 1B Joe Mahoney today on “The Morning Reaction” with Drew Forrester on AM1570 WNST; make sure you check out the chat with the Eastern League Player of the Week in the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net. Other guests this morning were:

Clark Judge (CBSSports.com), who went around the NFL with Drew-discussing Terrell Owens, the Ravens and who he liked in the AFC.

Ovie Mughelli (Atlanta Falcons FB, former Raven), who discussed his recent trip to the Gulf Coast and football in general with Drew.

Luke Jones, who checked in live from the practice field at McDaniel College with news about Terrence Cody, Matt Birk, etc.

Why did I include this in Crabs and Beer? Honestly, I have no idea. Probably because it’s a funny read (and we can use something like that when we talk about the Orioles); and it gives me an excuse to include this classic version of “Bohemian Rhapsody”…

Jeff will be on with Thyrl at 10:40am today to talk about this story and other college basketball-related items. Check it out live or later today in the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault.

Also make sure you check out this week’s edition of the “D1scast”, as myself and Patrick Stevens (D1scourse) discuss everything going on in the world of college sports-including a wrap of this weekend’s ACC Kickoff event in Greensboro. You can listen to the D1scast in the Audio Vault as well.

I got a new “lease on life” myself when I saw pictures of Carolina Baldini over at Guyism this morning…

And finally, I leave you with this.

It’s a Happy Wednesday for me because I was reminded that the Harford County Farm Fair gets underway tomorrow. Which reminds me-I need to run out and pick up some chewing tobacco today. Not for me to actually use, just to help me feel more comfortable.

Much like the Maryland State Fair in Timonium, there’s one simple thing that I enjoy most about the Hazzard County Fair. Plain and simple…PIG RACES…

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The Baltimore Ravens are back in action this week with another round of Passing Camp OTA’s. Here are some news and notes from around 1 Winning Drive today:

-QB Troy Smith (tonsils) and S Haruki Nakamura (leg) were the notable players to return to practice. Nakamura has been at the facility, but was finally able to get back to practice fully on Monday. Nakamura said he felt “pretty good” yesterday and “even better” today. WR Mark Clayton (shoulder) has also returned to practice, he had been here and working on the side after undergoing a procedure earlier in the offseason.

-Veterans not present today (presumably just skipping this voluntary camp) were DL Cory Redding, WR Anquan Boldin, LB Ray Lewis, RB Willis McGahee, DE Trevor Pryce and LB Terrell Suggs. WR Derrick Mason was in attendance today after skipping last week, he was impressed by the throwing arm of QB Coach Jim Zorn-who took a few reps during practice today.

-Also, OT Oniel Cousins is out this week due to strep throat-Tony Moll was working in his place. OT Jared Gaither (foot) is at the facility but didn’t practice. “He’s working…we’ll probably take our time, I think he’s anxious to get back” said John Harbaugh.

-CB Lardarius Webb (knee) is here again this week, but isn’t expected to practice until at least Training Camp. S Ed Reed (groin/hip) is not present, and still has not formally informed the team that he will play this season.

-RB Matt Lawrence (knee) and WR Marcus Smith (knee) remained limited in practice, DE Paul Kruger and DT Terrence Cody were each practicing after missing last Tuesday for unspecified reasons. LB Jarret Johnson (shoulder) and TE Todd Heap were also limited, Heap did not appear to be a concern.

-K Billy Cundiff has been kicking “very well” according to John Harbaugh (he made all but one kick today). There is still no competition for Cundiff on the roster, he was just short on a 60 yard try right before the end of practice.

-WR Demetrius Williams fell on his face during practice, he did not return as a “precautionary” measure according to Harbaugh.

-RB Ray Rice says he’s been dealing with an injured jaw, he has been unable to drink through a straw. He’s working with the injury and says it’s getting better. It apparently came from banging his jaw against a helmet.

-John Harbaugh says he has talked with FB Le’Ron McClain about his “McClain for RB” Twitter campaign. Harbaugh says the campaign is “lighthearted”, but added that he “wants (McClain) to want more carries. You like guys that want to play.” McClain also laughed about the campaign, but said he is having t-shirts made up about the campaign. McClain is scheduled to join Drew Forrester at 6:50am tomorrow on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST.

-LB Dannell Ellerbe-a presumed starter-was working with the 2nd team today, while Tavares Gooden was working with the 1st team defense. Both Harbaugh and Ellerbe dismissed the significance of it, and Harbaugh said no starter has been determined to join Lewis, Suggs and Johnson.

-Steve Bisciotti has said the Ravens will vote against holding the Super Bowl in New York in 2014. John Harbaugh said Bisciotti didn’t consult him prior to making that decision, and that he supports the idea as “it means Baltimore might get one.” He added “Baltimore build a stadium…I think we want one, but the main thing we’re worried about is getting into the Super Bowl.”

-Hear from John Harbaugh, Haruki Nakamura and Derrick Mason NOW in the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault right here at WNST.net.

It’s a Happy Tuesday for me because while everyone else in the world is down on the lineup announcement for the comeback of the HFStival…I actually think the event was made just for me, as I’m pretty sure I’ve seen ALL of these bands at Merriweather Post Pavilion before…

Third Eye Blind? Check.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaVs21uV5-0[/youtube]

Everclear? Check.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1vQJFF2TKQ[/youtube]

Fuel? You know it.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0QMfK9hzgA[/youtube]

Look, there’s NO chance this is a festival worth paying $25-$40 and service charges to go see-and it’s a little embarrassing that they’re trying to pass it off as if it is, but if they decide they want to do it for free like Virgin Fest did last year, I’m all in! I LOVED the 90’s!

Hell, I might even call my 10th grade girlfriend to see if she wants to go with me again. Or at least to see if her husband is out of jail yet and if she knows where her kids are.

Are we going to do this all season? Every time the Orioles come home, or every time they have an off day we speculate about the future of Dave Trembley?

I understand the team is 14-31. I wouldn’t be the LEAST bit upset if they decided to dismiss Dave Trembley and let Juan Samuel handle things the rest of the way. But I wouldn’t sign off on bringing in Tom Kelly right now and keeping the team from doing a FULL managerial search in the offseason.

Word is that Andy MacPhail and Peter Angelos met yesterday to discuss the team, and according to The Sun’s Dan Connolly, they’ve been meeting a bit more often recently. So, at least we have that going for us. Who knows, maybe one day all of the meetings will result in some sort of progress?!

But at least they’re meeting, which means…..Peter Angelos is still aware he owns the ballclub? I checked in with UnPeterAngelos on Twitter for his update…

“Heated meeting today. McPhail keeps fighting me on my idea to outsource Dave Trembley’s position to India. They can do anything over there.“

Apparently Dallas Braden is very proud of his background in Stockton, California. He, his tattoo AND his thumb will all be on display tonight at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, when he faces Jeremy Guthrie and the Birds. First pitch on MASN is at 7:05pm.

I’m guessing announced attendance at OPACY will be about 15,000. The weather is nice. So nice that Drew Forrester and Nestor Aparicio are trying to convince me to go to the game with them tomorrow night. They might even get me to go.

And apparently the Nofolk Tides did NOT use Frank Mata in a save situation last night, leading many people to believe that he may be on his way to Charm City to replace Alfredo Simon, who is likely DL bound. Koji Uehara is also likely DL bound, and it looks more and more likely that David Hernandez will head to the bullpen, and either Tillman or Jake Arrieta will be coming up to replace him in the rotation.

Hernandez is scheduled to face Gio Gonzalez Thursday, and obviously Chris Tillman wouldn’t be ready to make that start. Given yesterday’s off day-the Birds could move up Brad Bergesen to Thursday, and slide in Tillman this weekend.

Doesn’t this all just sound so exciting?!?!?!

And before we move on from the Orioles, congratulations to Peter Schmuck, whose “you win some and you lose some” blog about Koji Uehara yesterday made him a RUNAWAY winner for Apologist of the Morning. “The Great Arbitrator” didn’t have much of a selection this morning, as Peter’s offering was a RUNAWAY winner.

Which means we remain at status quo. “On schedule” doesn’t mean he can take the field at McDaniel College in late July necessarily, but it MIGHT mean he can take the field September 13th in East Rutherford.

Of course, if he misses the August 12th exhibition opener against the Carolina Panthers at M&T Bank Stadium, he might not be alone. O.A.R. and Citizen Cope are playing Merriweather that night, so I’ve been thinking about tagging out to Luke Jones.

Which is a shame for him, because if he was at home-he’d have more time to check out the pictures of Candice Swanepoel over at Guyism…

Of course, having Fabian Washington back will be good news for the Ravens, as they will have him, Domonique Foxworth and Chris Carr for sure-as well as POSSIBLY Lardarius Webb; and some mix of Cary Williams and/or Travis Fisher, and maybe even Marcus Paschal and/or Prince Miller-and you’d THINK there’s a COMPETENT group of corners in there.

I say competent because it obviously still looks like the team’s biggest area of weakness. Not that I’m trying to be a buzzkill or anything.

And neither does Mike Florio from ProFootballTalk.com and NBC Sports, which he told Drew this morning on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST. If you missed it, make sure you check it out in the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault.

Other guests this morning included Terry Hasseltine (The Executive Director of Sports Marketing in Maryland), Delmarva Shorebirds pitcher (and former Orioles 1st round pick) Matt Hobgood, Deadspin founder Will Leitch, and WNST’s own Luke Jones. Check all of it out in the Audio Vault as well.

For the record, I’m NOT in favor of a New York (New Jersey) Super Bowl either, for much of the same reason as Steve Bisciotti. If a storm hits The Garden State that weekend the way a storm hit Baltimore on Super Bowl weekend this year, we’d be looking at playing the most significant sporting event in the world in “state of emergency” conditions.

It’s a cool idea, but I’m siding with Steve Bisciotti on this one. And not just because he has better hair than me.

I’d probably be in agreement with him, but he also has the Dallas Cowboys in Tier 1. I understand they look good on paper, but I’m not ready to include them in that group yet.

Before we move on from the Ravens, a reminder that I’ll be out at 1 Winning Drive today for Ravens Passing Camp. Make sure you’re following us on Twitter (@WNST) for news from Owings Mills, including whether or not Jared Gaither is back on the field. I’ll also be on this afternoon with Rex Snider and Ray Bachman, so stay tuned to AM1570.

I personally don’t think Paul Cantabene is the coach Debbie Yow and Michael Lipitz are looking for, but I think it would be smart for them to give Stevenson’s head man a phone call.

Kevin Corrigan (Notre Dame), Jeff Tambroni (Cornell), Mike Pressler (Bryant, former Duke), Scott Marr (Albany) and Don Zimmerman (UMBC) seem like they have to be the TOP guys on the list-but I’m telling you that without having had the chance to chat with any of the decision makers with the department since Dave Cottle resigned. I could be WAY off on what it is that the school is looking for.

I just don’t get the feeling that after letting a coach go for not making the Final Four in the last four years, hiring a coach who doesn’t know a thing or two about the NCAA Tournament would probably be a mistake.

The weird thing about this story is that growing up in New York, apparently the Palaseks were OBSESSED with becoming Blue Jays. There isn’t much known about why the Palaseks are departing the program, but there’s a thought that it might have something to do with Dave Pietramala’s coaching style.

Since I don’t know that for sure, I won’t pounce on the kids. But if it is, it’s absolutely amazing that two kids would leave a program because they didn’t like the style of a coach who has won two NCAA Championships.

2:36-Hear from John Harbaugh, Ozzie Newsome, Eric DeCosta & Joe Hortiz NOW in the Audio Vault at WNST.net. You will also hear the press conference in its entirety this afternoon during Rex Snider & Ray Bachman’s show on AM1570 WNST.

1:23-Here are some highlights from today’s event:

-Kevin Byrne announced Ravens would not hold Spring Football Festival this year due to construction at M&T Bank Stadium, but announced team would partner with Orioles for Saturday event.
-Ozzie Newsome opened today’s press conference by saying Ravens will terminate Samari Rolle’s contract at 4pm today.
-Ozzie and John Harbaugh both complimented Samari Rolle both on & off field
-Newsome: “Draft doesn’t unfold for you until you get through first 15 picks”
-Newsome said he checks the Drafts of the Browns, Bengals and Steelers after the Draft ends.
-Harbaugh: “We’re interested in who Pittsburgh is going to take.”
-Newsome: “I think the juniors have impacted this Draft more so than any other year.”
-Newsome: “We have to be prepared to pick at 25.”
-DeCosta: “Fortunately we have a lot of tape” on Dez Bryant despite him not playing much in 2010
-Newsome: “Wide receiver is still an important position for us.”
-Newsome on trading back in Draft: “You have to have a partner.”
-Newsome: “There’s probably a Tight End that we can take in every round” of Draft
-DeCosta says “4 or 5″ CB’s “merit 1st round grade”, including Devin McCourty (Rutgers), Chris Cook (Virginia) as well as Joe Haden (Florida)
-Harbaugh said he’s looking for “best possible chance” for player drafted to be successful.
-DeCosta: “Dan Williams (Tennessee) really really good player, unlikely to be there” at 25. Terrence Cody “guy you can’t move.”
-Newsome said he has not discussed trading Jared Gaither or ANY other player with any NFL team.
-Newsome on whether time between 1st & 2nd round will effect trading: “In the end, I think teams are just going to pick.”
-Newsome: “We still are trying to operate under some sense of a (salary) cap.”
-Newsome reiterated that Bisciotti, Ravens “willing to take a risk” on players when asked about Dez Bryant
-Newsome: “We will move up” to get a player this year if there’s someone they like
-DeCosta says (Maryland OT) Bruce Campbell, (Rutgers OT) AnthonyDavis “very good players, gifted athletes, works in progress.”
-Hortiz: injury, playing in run offense will alter where Demaryius Thomas is selected
-DeCosta told story about Ravens not planning on drafting Ed Reed, but managed to get “best player” in Draft when the player they wanted was already picked
-Hortiz says (Florida QB) Tim Tebow “winner, great college football player” but “does need developing” at NFL level.
-Newsome said he’s working under the assumption that Ed Reed is returning, and will feel that way unless Reed sends a retirement letter to NFL
-Newsome says players have been more “forthcoming” about marijuana use in interviews. Says admissions are “case by case” scenarios.
-Decosta: “Marijuana use seems to have increased” amongst NFL Draft prospects.
-When asked if it bothered him that other AFC North teams had more Draft picks, he responded “Does it bother me that they don’t have as good of players as we do in Baltimore?” semi-jokingly.

12:15-Greetings from 1 Winning Drive, where the Baltimore Ravens are holding their annual Pre-Draft Luncheon, which has humorously been re-named the “Liars Luncheon” by various members of the media in recent years.

We will hear from GM Ozzie Newsome, Director of Player Personnel Eric DeCosta, Director of College Scouting Joe Hortiz and Coach John Harbaugh. We can expect questions about ALL of the names you have heard linked to the team, including:

It’s a Happy Wednesday for me because A-I’ve put so many chemicals up my nose in the last 24 hours that I think I’m drug-influenced; B-Tonight is Alicia Keys, so NOTHING can bring me down.

As a note to the Baltimore City Police Department-there is NO restraining order….yet. Please don’t try to keep me out of the building. However, if you see THIS guy in the building….you might want to go ahead and have him removed…

HOWEVER-if you were one of those people who was hoping that a new owner would change the alcohol policy on the Preakness infield, it doesn’t appear that will be the case. Which is bad news for Ray Bachman, who had been celebrating the potential change by drinking a keg by himself for the last 36 years of his life.

Myself, I DO think it is good news that Preakness will be staying. We were THIS close to the Harford County Farm Fair being arguably amongst the most significant annual events in the state of Maryland.

If you missed Tom Chuckas’ interview with Drew Forrester this morning, check it out in the Audio Vault here at WNST.net.

Which goes back to the point Drew Forrester and I discussed on “The Comcast Morning Show” Tuesday morning….”If you don’t like something, sue someone!”

If I were Jeff Seder…or David Cordish…or Kevin Plank…or ANYONE else involved in the auction process, I’d be furious. How is it possible to have gotten to (and past) the original auction date, yet this was allowed to happen???

The ONLY good news in all of this mess? At least THIS GUY won’t be involved….

Which would of course be good news for everyone; as the mere THOUGHT of Ty Wigginton playing second base in real games makes small children shiver in fear.

Hopefully Brian Roberts won’t need more than a month to be season-ready. If we get to the end of April/beginning of May before B-Rob heats up, the O’s may already be playing games that don’t matter a whole lot.

The Orioles could DESPERATELY use a couple more starts like this before Opening Day, as Brian Matusz (today’s starter against Rich Hill-YES, THAT RICH HILL-and the Cardinals again in Jupiter) has looked MUCH MORE the part of a #2 starter than Guthrie has.

HOWEVER-yesterday’s start by Guthrie was also a reminder that even when he has pitched well over the years-he hasn’t always been able to win. His ERA can be as good as he wants it to be, he has to know how to WIN.

Which is one more thing that everyone knew, yet still qualifies as news. Is there any chance Ozzie Newsome and company can petition the NFL to let them just HAVE Samari’s “cousin” Myron Rolle in exchange for having given Samari a contract before the 2009 season?

With all of that being said, Samari Rolle will go down as one of the better free agent acquisitions in Ravens history. Or at least better than some others…

While we’re making statements, I’m still interested in Mila Kunis myself, especially after seeing the new pictures of her in GQ….

Look, no Ravens fans want Frank Walker back. I get that. And Frank Walker should NOT be one of this team’s first 3 Cornerback options. But they NEED Cornerback depth; especially with Lardarius Webb and Fabian Washington being question marks in Training Camp and beyond.

My gut says he won’t be back. But I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if he was.

In all seriousness, I think acquiring either kicker would be a good move for the Ravens. They both have had reputable NFL careers; and even though they’ve both missed big kicks, they’ve also both MADE big kicks. I would find either to be better choices than Billy Cundiff.

Is it a perfect rule? Absolutely not. Does it make sense that the rule was adopted for the playoffs and not the regular season? Not at all.

Is it a LITTLE weird that Bisciotti voted against it while almost every other owner in the league voted for it? Yeah, it probably is.

Do I ask too many questions in this forum and then immediately answer them? Probably. Do any of you watch “Parks & Recreation”? You’ll understand much better. AND you’ll understand my fascination with Amy Poehler. Maybe.

We all know that Ralph Friedgen’s “make or break” season will be made or broken by the offensive line. He’ll have talented players at RB and WR, and the defense absolutely SHOULD continue to improve in Don Brown’s 2nd year as coordinator. But if the O-Line doesn’t improve, nothing changes.

It’s another one of those “I THINK it’s a Happy” days today, as season allergies hit me like 6 tons of bricks last night. I have to get healthy before tomorrow night, because “The Luckiest Dang Gal on the Face of the Planet” and I are supposed to go see Alicia Keys at 1st Mariner Arena.

I can’t miss that.

I need your remedy ideas. What will get me healthy again? I’ve been taking the Benadryl Allergy stuff at night, but it makes me drowsy-so I can’t do it during the day. Or at least not when I’m working.

I need ideas. Apparently blood spinning won’t help me, but I’m willing to give it a try. Hell, I’m willing to try anything if it will make me feel better. So far I’ve tried this….

And while it’s made me feel better…I’m not totally certain it’s working.

Although nothing is guaranteed, Redding has a (mostly) solid track record-and we have reason to believe he might well be BETTER than Dwan Edwards. That being said, Edwards CERTAINLY had a better 2009 season than Redding did.

It appears as though Redding will slide in at Edwards’ position, possibly rotating out for Trevor Pryce in obvious passing situations.

I still expect the Ravens to pursue pass rush help in the NFL Draft-either at DE or OLB. BUT-I think this is a good addition for a team that needed D-Line help.

Although, my first choice of people to steal from Seattle would probably have been this guy….

I’ve heard a few people say something along the lines of “are we sure Redding was always giving his all in Detroit?”

For the record, I’m not.

That being said, I’m not sure I expect someone playing for the Lions to always give it everything he has on every play. I also know that things were VERY awkward in Seattle a season ago, with Jim Mora finally taking over, struggling, and going on to be fired.

It’s REALLY hard to judge what happened last season there.

I’m certainly willing to give Redding the benefit of the doubt, especially knowing that he’s coming to a MUCH better system. In talking with Redding yesterday, you could certainly sense the excitement he had about playing alongside the likes of Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata, etc. If you missed Redding on “The Bob Haynie Show” With “Hoops” & Mark Suchy yesterday-check it out in the Audio Vault at WNST.net.

(Edit from GMC: That makes back to back times that the Ravens have acquired a player and I was the first reporter in town to talk to the player, after Anquan Boldin a few weeks back. I don’t say that to brag or boast. I say that because I hope you’ll continue to turn to us for Ravens information-as well as information on all local sports.)

Which we knew was coming. Unfortunately-for all of the players they lost (Jason Brown, Kyle Boller, Bart Scott, etc.); they also signed their own free agents (Domonique Foxworth, Matt Birk, LJ Smith, etc.).

The Ravens will still look to acquire 3rd or 4th round picks between now and when the Draft starts about a month from now.

I’ll look to acquire Olivia Munn’s phone number myself. I just can’t guarantee that either of us will be successful, but I probably have more faith in Ozzie Newsome and company. (Thanks Busted Coverage.)

First of all, I GENUINELY don’t believe there will be a work stoppage in the NFL. I really don’t. I think this will get worked out.

BUT-should there be a work stoppage, I just can’t see Tom Zbikowski REALLY use the time to step inside a ring; unless his relationship with the Ravens is somehow damaged between now and then.

Just because they might have to step away for a short time doesn’t mean they won’t ever have to play football again. While I doubt Tom Zbikowski WOULD be injured in a boxing ring, he’d certainly be putting himself at risk.

Johnny Oates is clearly getting in because he was a great guy who sadly met his demise due to a brain tumor. He ABSOLUTELY did not do enough as a manager or player to warrant consideration for the honor.

Ray Miller was a very good pitching coach and not a good manager. I guess someone had to get in this year.

And apparently this guy didn’t get a whole heck of a lot of consideration….

Like…which town has groupies you might want to stay away from? (Edit from GMC: I’m looking at you, Pawtucket.)

It’s great to have Mike Bordick back with the organization. I’d like to see even MORE former players involved with the organization somehow. Bordick is a guy who can certainly bring a quality perspective on defense, bunting, timely hitting, moving runners over, etc.

All of those things are really good for young ballplayers. Or veteran ballplayers for that matter. Like the ones playing in Baltimore for example.

And the team is going to NEED scoring from Adrian Bowie and/or Cliff Tucker.

And they’re going to need Dino Gregory to develop into a more all-around power forward.

And they’re going to need James Padgett and Ashton Pankey to be able to give them some minutes up front off the bench.

And they’re going to need the freshmen guards (Terrell Stoglin, P’Shon Howard, Mychal Parker) to give them SOME sort of contribution. Parker is clearly the most likely to do that, but Stoglin could end up working into the rotation as the point guard of the future.

Of course, we’re some 7 months even from Midnight Madness. Maybe we should calm down a bit.

It is definitely WEIRD to see the Blue Jays outside the Top 10, but you have to beat SOMEONE of note to be considered a top-tier team. (Edit from GMC: I’m terribly afraid that win will come against Maryland.)

What’s also weird is that no other local team (with MAYBE the exception of Loyola) is even a threat to get NEAR the Top 10.

Let’s step it up boys. It’s about time this town is recognized for something besides selling X-Boxes that were once evidence in a major trial on eBay.

And finally, I leave you with this.

For whatever reason, my Facebook and Twitter feeds were taken up by comments on “Dancing With The Stars” last night. You people do know that wrestling airs on Mondays, don’t you???